May Member Spotlight: City of Beaverton Arts Program

The City of Beaverton Arts Program supports arts organizations and artists through four grant programs, two of which are open year-round to support arts and cultural events and projects. These grants enrich the Beaverton community by celebrating creative expression in all its forms with a focus on cultural diversity, social equity and inclusiveness, all of which support the City of Beaverton’s mission to be welcoming, inclusive, representative, and responsive to historically underrepresented and underserved communities, particularly communities of color, immigrants, refugees and LGBTQIA2S+. 

The City of Beaverton Arts Program has seen the needs of the arts and culture sector shift and grow, and with that have expanded granting opportunities to include an Open Format Grant, intended to provide support for individuals or organizations that have needs not met by other traditional funding programs. It’s called “open format” because the applicants must simply submit a letter of intent for what their most emergent and impactful needs are and the request will be considered for funding. This grant program was designed to be flexible and adaptive to meet the spectrum of needs presented by the creative community without the barriers associated with annual grant cycle deadlines, traditional evaluation methods and criteria alignment.  

The City of Beaverton Arts Program is proud to have expanded its funding for placemaking and project grants. Upcoming funded projects include creative writing workshops for teens, an exhibition supporting LGBTQIA2S+ artists along with an all-ages Drag Cabaret Variety show, and The Immigrant Story Live, which combines nuanced storytelling, music, and subtle performance art.

You can also visit the Beaverton Arts Program photo gallery on GIA's Photo Credits page.